A MAN branded "Britain's most feckless father" after fathering 26 children by 15 different women could be entitled to £1,000 in compensation because his local council cannot rehome him to a bigger house.

Peter Rolfe, 64, is claiming he deserves the payout after officials struggled to find anywhere to accommodate his family.

Mr Rolfe currently lives in a cramped three-bedroom house in Newport, Isle of Wight, with seven of his children.

The pensioner, who appeared on controversial Channel 5 show Benefits Britain, suffers from arthritis, diabetes, only has one eye and walks with a stick.

But the Isle of Wight Council has failed to find Mr Rolfe a larger house, the Local Government Ombudsman has ruled.

Although councillors initially said that he would only be given £250, they are now meeting to decide if he will receive £1,000.

Mr Rolfe, who has 14 daughters and 12 sons, said: "My kids are suffering because they've got no space. The council is not doing enough to find us another house, even though the ombudsman said it was in the wrong.

"We have been waiting years for a bigger house. I'll be dead before they even think about giving me one.

Mr Rolfe claims £32,678 a year in benefits in the form of child tax credits, family allowance, disability benefits, housing benefits and a state pension.

The news that he could get another handout of taxpayers' money has caused outrage.

Andy Silvester of the Taxpayers Alliance said that the decision to pay Mr Rolfe compensation would make many taxpayers "angry".

He said: “It’s not for the state to say how many children somebody should have, but families across the country have to think hard about whether they can afford another child and a bigger house, and those on benefits should be no different.

"Taxpayers will be angry that they’re picking up an extra compensation bill on top of everything else.”

Many people were outraged when Mr Rolfe appeared on Benefits Street – but he claims that he has been stopped for AUTOGRAPHS on the street.

Rolfe's three-bedroom home in Newport, Isle of Wight [M&Y]

He said: "Some people slag me off for claiming benefits but I am not on the dole, I am a pensioner.

"Most of the country are on benefits. Where do people think child benefits come from? They are hypocrites."

The Isle of Wight Council said it was 'working within its own policies.'

A spokesperson said: "We are continuing efforts to identify accommodation large enough for the family.

"The council has been exploring a number of options, including identifying two properties next to each other which could be reconfigured. To date no suitable accommodation has been found."